Hari Kurono, otherwise known as Chronostasis — assistant to the Shie Hassaikai Yakuza organization's Boss, Overhaul — took his hands out of his pockets as the ship silently docked on the concrete-floored shipyard.
The two Bullets approached and came to a stop a step behind him as well.
Chronostasis lifted his hand high, giving the armed members of the organization a signal to be ready to fire with intent to kill if anything went wrong.
In the entire organization, only four people knew that the business would be conducted at this shipyard.
Three of them were here, with the bodyguards called upon by the Boss at a moment's notice before leaving.
Still, it was hard to tell if there was no leak from the other side.
It was Shie Hassaikai's first time dealing with this unknown organization, which had somehow developed one of the most significant weapons of the century, just like them.
Therefore, it was better to take some precautionary measures.
The bow part of the ship opened, and the metallic door landed on the concrete with a thump, becoming a platform.
It was dark inside.
Hari's eyes narrowed.
He looked to his left, a step behind him, and found the Ninth Bullet shaking.
"What is it?" Shin Nemoto asked, involuntarily using his Quirk. "What do you see?"
"Madness…" the boy replied, stuttering.
Shin Nemoto looked up and found Chronostasis looking right back at him.
The boy's powers were strange, to say the least. They had already confirmed that, as a Reporter, he could indeed see through many lies and illusions, going as far as to make a picture out of little clues. What they couldn't confirm was whether the boy could lie against Shin's Confession, though.
So, taking the boy's answer as the only truth possible, both older Yakuza members instantly raised their guards.
Exactly at that moment, the lights turned on inside the ship, revealing a silhouette.
It was only one man, standing in the middle of the opening, letting the low glow coming from behind darken his front.
Even then, the three Yakuza members could see his appearance clearly because of their proximity.
The man was buck naked.
From toes to neck, he literally had nothing on his body.
His head was covered under a black piece of cloth, though a rope was tied around his neck to keep that covering in its place. It was almost like he was in the process of being hanged to death before he cut the rope and ran away…
However, the strange covered head and the tightly tied rope weren't the things that unsettled the three Yakuza the most.
It was the naked part of the man's body.
It was black.
Not even the skin-painted-black kind, but something… unnatural.
Even from afar, the three could see the black flesh wriggling as if hundreds of tiny worms were crawling under the man's skin. And every time a worm crawled, it oozed out a reddish glow, making the skin outside let out a bloody pulse. As if that sight wasn't unnerving enough already, he didn't even have a penis, only balls dangling under a wound that seemed to boil with black blood.
A silence lingered between them, none of the four letting out as much as a whimper.
Then, the man… the thing raised its hand, making the three Yakuza involuntarily twitch.
But, to their relief, the thing only waved its hand as if calling someone from behind, its shoulders shaking as if it were enjoying itself at the sight.
Chronostasis cursed under his plague mask.
Suddenly, dark-robed figures began rushing out from either side of the thing.
Groups of four men carried large wooden crates down the platform before slowly putting them down next to the giant containers that acted as a boundary toward the left.
Simultaneously, Chronostasis again raised his hand.
Of course, it wasn't a cHarity.
It was a trade.
Just as Shie Hassaikai wanted its hands on Compound Monocle, the organization from the other side wanted Erasure — the Quirk-Erasing drug.
A row of Yakuza members came from behind, carrying similar-sized crates and began laying them down near the ship, all trying their best not to look at the abomination standing in the middle of the ship's platform.
"Do we need to say something?" Shin asked.
Chronostasis kept quiet.
Despite the clearly said sentence, he noticed the hesitance in Shin's voice.
For once, Chronostasis couldn't blame the man — no matter if he was a Bullet — a cut above the rest.
"Let's…"
Chronostasis was about to suggest maintaining the silence until the business was conducted, when they saw the thing move.
It had lifted its right leg… forward.
A loud THUNK rang across the shipyard as if someone had accidentally dropped a steel crate on the ship's platform.
Then, with even more THUNKs, the thing stepped off the platform, the concrete barely managing to soften the blows of its feet.
Slowly, the black-skinned or fleshed or blooded thing approached the three Yakuza members and came to a stop right in the leader's face.
Over 6 ft tall at least, Chronostasis noticed.
Before he could notice more, though, he heard the breathing.
Not only did it reek, but it held a strange brokenness to it as if… the thing was mumbling something… constantly.
Then, to both Hari and Shin's surprise, the thing turned its black-clothed head and looked down at Kannagi.
"… Freedom…" the thing said, gagging, as if its mouth was full of blood. "… tastes great… isn't it?"
Chronostasis looked from Kannagi to the thing and then back at Kannagi, and realized something.
This thing was the same as the boy!
This thing held the powers bestowed by a God, too!
When Chronostasis looked back at the… Monocle, as they were calling these individuals overseas… he found the thing looking back at him, its hand outstretched as if it wanted to shake hands.
Hari straightened his spine.
Yes.
He was the same as the thing here today.
He was the representative of the Shie Hassaikai, just as the Monocle was the representative of the other organization.
"To… a… great… partnership…" the thing said. "After all… we criminals… must stand… together."
Chronostasis, taking a deep breath, had just lifted his hand in response, when…
BOOM!
An explosion to their left and a huge tentacle to their right sent the massive containers flying in all directions!